As we prepare for returning to public worship, Fr. Paddy would like to offer an opportunity for parishioners to engage about what it might mean to come back to Mass, and what effects the Covid pandemic might have as we go froward.
Creativity and flexibility will be needed, in consultation, to reshape structures to best serve the pastoral needs of our communities, taking into account the reducing Mass-going population and the reducing number of priests.
Measures to renew our parishes as centres of evangelisation and faith formation, will pose both challenges and opportunities. “The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 28). Read the full document here
More details in coming weeks.
The Shape of Parish – week 2
The Shape of Parish: As we prepare for returning to public worship, Fr. Paddy would like to offer an opportunity for parishioners to engage about what it might mean to come back to Mass, and what effects the Covid pandemic might have as we go froward. The recently retired Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin spoke…
The Shape of Parish – week 3
Amazingly after many decades of Catholic education, there are still many parishioners who struggle to know what their faith says about a particular topic, and to understand it. This is especially true about topics such as Sexuality and Morality. While there are a huge number of resources available for faith formation individually, or as a…
The Shape of Parish – Week 4
The Shape of Parish: What are your thoughts on What it means to be Church, and how we might better be ‘God’s people’, & build The Kingdom in these post-pandemic times. Quotes from a chapter in a new book released ‘Maynooth College Reflects on Covid-19: New Realities in Uncertain Times’ (Feb 2021, Messenger Publications) include;…
Monasterboice Parish 